The present invention relates to an improved floatable aeration apparatus. More particularly, it relates to a float mounted aerator having a work deck for providing increased maintenance worker safety.
Aeration is a widely used technique for treating, oxidizing and/or mixing a variety of fluids. For example, municipal water treatment plants, paper mills and drainage ponds all utilize aeration to continuously oxygenate and treat waste water. These facilities normally maintain extremely large volumes of waste water, which often contains sludge or other odor producing materials. Aeration has proven to be highly successful at these and other applications in eliminating odors, maintaining fluid content disbursement and providing aerobic sludge.
Aeration or fluid mixing can be accomplished with different devices. These include forced air pumps and independent mixers. With waste water applications, however, the fluid to be aerated is maintained within one or more basins having large volume capacities, ranging from thousands to millions of gallons. Due to this large size, an aerator which can easily be moved to various locations within the basin is optimal. Float mounted aerators are designed to meet the aerating needs presented by large scale waste water holding basins.
A float mounted aerator basically includes a flotation system, including a pair of floats or pontoons, which supports an aerator. The aerator itself includes a motor coupled to a shaft which rotates a propeller which has an open hub. During use, the flotation system maintains the motor and a top end of the shaft above the waste water surface while a lower end, including the propeller, is below the waste water surface. An off site power supply powers the motor that in turn rotates the shaft and the propeller. As the propeller rotates, air is drawn into an air intake in the shaft and forced into the waste water from the open propeller hub. Alternatively, recent improvements to float mounted aerators include a directional tube surrounding a solid shaft. Rotation of the propeller draws air into an air intake in the directional tube and injects it through the open hub of the propeller, which is in communication with the directional tube, and into the waste water. With either approach, rotation of the propeller imparts a mixing action into the waste water. Because the aerator is float mounted, it can easily be maneuvered to different locations within the basin.
Float mounted aerators have proven to be quite successful in maintaining and/or restoring the sludge dispersion and overall quality of waste water. However, maintenance of the float mounted aerator, which most often takes place while the device is floating in the waste water, presents significant safety concerns. Normally, the aerator is mounted between two cylindrical pontoons in a pivoting fashion. With this design, the propeller and the lower end of the shaft are serviced by pivoting the aerator such that the propeller is lifted out of the waste water. To accomplish this, a maintenance worker is forced to either lean out of a boat to service the aerator, or attempt to balance on one of the rounded, slippery pontoons. Either approach is dangerous. For example, the maintenance worker may lean too far from the boat and consequently fall. Alternatively, because the pontoons are normally quite slippery, a maintenance worker faces the distinct possibility of slipping off.
Float mounted aerators are highly useful devices. However, maintenance of the float mounted aerator presents prominent safety concerns. Therefore, a need exists for a floatable aeration apparatus having a work deck for improved maintenance worker safety.